


Let's be Friends!

by sansonaxy



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cute Kids, Fluff, i wrote this during hella soft hours, just kiddos being kiddos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-12 12:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15995315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sansonaxy/pseuds/sansonaxy
Summary: Minghao's mother just wants him to be happy.





	Let's be Friends!

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I whipped up from my own memories and it's a little cheesy but I like it because s o f t

“Minghao, don’t you want to go outside and play?”

The boy shakes his head, eyes never leaving the book in his hands. It was a strange book, a rather tragic story about a girl who drowns in a river. “No, I want to finish reading.”

His mother sighed. She didn’t quite understand her son. The boy was too quiet for a six year old. He didn’t like running around and playing with the other kids, so he didn’t have any friends. Whenever the teachers tried talking to him about his favorite books or his drawings, he would just nod shyly. During family gatherings, he would quietly sit in the corner, away from his cousins, reading. She loved her son, and he interacted perfectly fine with her, but she just wished he had a friend of his own age, someone to have fun with and play with like the other kids. 

“Are you sure?” she asks. “You can stay at the playground while mom finishes the shopping.” 

Minghao places the book face-down, not wanting to lose his place. The town had just discovered the girl who died. 

“Can I go shopping with you instead? He blinks up at her with soft brown eyes. 

“I don’t think so,” she says, bending down to stroke his hair. It's short and matted, but still soft under his mother’s delicate hand. “There’s a lot and I don’t want you to get bored.” 

He wanted to tell her he wouldn’t, that he didn’t mind, but he sensed that she would rather he stay in the park. It was right in front of the grocery store where she could still keep an eye on him and there were always parents, so he gathered his book and jacket and they left, his hand wrapped in hers. 

“Go on and play,” she says when they arrive. “Look, I think there are some people in your class!”

Minghao nods and waves to her as she disappears into the grocery store. He didn’t approach his classmates though, searching instead for a bench to finish his book on. His eyes fell on the one closest to the the store, but there was already someone there. A kid, not much older than him, sitting alone, yet beaming with his legs dangling happily as his eyes wandered about, drinking in everything around him with genuine enthusiasm and wonder. 

He looked around for other free places, but found none. The rest were occupied by the adults, and as uncomfortable as he was around people in general, he supposed being around someone his own age was a little less uncomfortable. He briefly debated on running inside the store and latching onto his mother, but he didn’t want to upset her, so he approaches the boy reluctantly.

“Hello,” he mutters softly and sits. He opens his book quickly, hoping it would convey that he doesn't want to continue the conversation. 

Unfortunately for Minghao, his shyness mattered not to the universe, because the boy they’d placed him next to was the biggest chatterbox he would ever meet. 

“Hi!” he waves, despite the fact they weren’t more than a couple inches apart. “What are you reading?” the boy asks, suddenly scooting a bit closer to him.

Minghao stutters and tries to move away discreetly. "A-A story."

“What about?”

“A girl...” He didn’t want to be rude, but he hoped his short responses were enough of a hint to the other that he’d really rather read in silence.

“What does the girl do?”

“Drowns...”

“Ah, I read that book too!” the boy exclaims. “Bridge to Terabithia, right?”

Minghao nods. It’s a popular book, but he hopes their conversation is over. 

Instead, the boy moves even closer to him, pressed against his side now as he tries to read the book with Minghao. 

“I liked it a lot, but it’s really sad.”

Minghao nods, gaze still averted.

“I feel bad for her friend, he really liked her and now he’s all alone. I can’t imagine that happening to one of my friends, I’d be really sad,” he rambles.

Minghao just nods again. 

“You don’t talk a lot,” the boy notes, lips pursed. “It’s okay though, my mom says I talk enough for like ten people, sometimes I even talk to myself or Wendy — that’s my elephant — she’s blue and has a bow tie. Dad says bow ties are for boys, but I think they should be for girls too because Wendy looks cute and-“

Good god, Minghao had never met anyone who could talk as much as this kid did. He didn’t even have to respond, the boy would fill the silence by himself. He talked more about Wendy (who apparently had a tragic backstory?), that one time he made his moms ramen EXTRA spicy and got grounded (“It was really funny,” he giggled.), and just when Minghao thinks maybe he can iignore him and let him talk to himself, the other turns to him with a toothy grin.

“What other books do you like?”

Minghao shrugs. “I don’t know...lots.”

“Have you read the one about the girl who met that immortal family?” 

Minghao nodded. Tuck Everlasting. It was one of his favorites. 

“It was so sad! They really liked each other, they could have been immortal together, but she wanted to die?! She’s so weird, I think I’d live forever if I could, wouldn’t you? I would want to see all the cartoons that come out, and buy more toys, and read books forever!”

“I don’t think I’d want to live forever,” Minghao replies softly. 

“What?! Why not?”

“It’s kinda scary and lonely...what if you had to hide like they did?“

“Hmm, maybe you’re right....” the boy muses, stroking his chin dramatically. “I won’t be lonely though, I’d have mom and dad! And friends with their own parents! Would you come if I let you bring your parents?”

“I guess...”

“Yay! We’re friends now then!” He holds out a hand to Minghao, beaming. “What’s your name?”

“Xu Minghao...”

“Nice to meet you Minghao! I’m Wen Junhui!”

Minghao nods again, but he smiles this time. It's small and he's sure no one else would notice it, but even from all the way across the playground, his mother does.

When she walks out of the grocery store, she hopes too see Minghao with his classmates but expects to find him reading. She is both right and wrong. Minghao isn't playing with his classmates and he is reading, but he's not alone. Her son and another little boy are huddled together on a bench, reading. Together. 

The other little boy is pointing excitedly and gesturing wildly to whatever is in the book, but Minghao is nodding along, _smiling_ at the boy. There's even a faint twinkle in his eye that she wouldn't be able to see if she wasn't his mother, but she smiles too.

Minghao finally has a friend.


End file.
